Healing
by Beth6787
Summary: A sequel to 'Smokescreen'. Whilst Chakotay faces his health issues the journey of healing begins for all the senior staff...


Beth6787

February 2018

Healing

A sequel to 'Smokescreen'. Whilst Chakotay faces his health issues the journey of healing begins for all the senior staff...

It had been well past midnight when Kathryn had beamed into her hotel, in the nearest town to Sekaya and Chakotay's settlement. It had been an arduously long afternoon and evening for the three of them.

After her desperate declaration of love on the outskirts of Sekaya's property Chakotay had at least allowed her to accompany him back to the adjoining cottage where he had insisted on setting up home. Much to Sekaya's chagrin. His sister was, understandably, reluctant to let Chakotay out of her sight, having last physically spent time with him over nine years ago. Before he was claimed by the Maquis and their shadowy 'home' within the Badlands followed by alien abduction to the far reaches of the galaxy. Add to that his current health problems - of which even Seven had only a very sanitised view - it was no wonder she was overtly over protective. Smothering: as Chakotay phrased it.

They had had a couple of hours to talk and were just making headway when Sekaya barged in and refused to budge thereafter. Kathryn could see that it would take some considerable time for Sekaya to even begin to drop her guard and hostility towards 'the cold Starfleet Captain' who had toyed with her brother's affections entirely for her own benefit (as Sekaya saw it) ever since New Earth and been so wrapped up in herself that she had only come to visit him after imploring by the ex-Borg girl.

Kathryn could see how Sekaya had come to that conclusion and she felt unable to defend herself from the myriad accusations both spoken and conveyed silently by the steely looks the other woman was giving her. Because Kathryn knew that she was partially right. She, Kathryn, had accepted the Chakotay and Seven romance at face value from the moment she had been 'enlightened' by the Admiral and also subsequently paid some discreet attention to ship's gossip.

She had also had a rather heart rending discussion with the Doctor whilst having her final medical assessment before disembarkation. She had mentioned nothing, hoping that the Doctor was unaware that she already knew, that Chakotay was lost to her. But he had assumed otherwise, although he had been so wrapped up in conveying his own hurt - dressed up as concern for Seven's welfare - that he had been oblivious of the effect that the subject was having on her. Until her cortisol and adrenaline levels had suddenly spiked and brought him up short. She had gathered from the Doctor's direct discussions with Seven that they had been dating for almost two years. Two years! So pretty much as soon as the whole debacle with Ransom and the Equinox had come to that utterly tragic conclusion.

So she had spent the last few days on Voyager and during the entire debriefing program subconsciously running through all the perceived betrayals by them both. All the confidences that she thought were sacrosanct between the two of them...then having to entertain the possibility that they were being shared during 'pillow talk' with Seven.

It had taken a Herculean effort on her part to keep the Captain's mask in place throughout the gruelling de-briefing sessions. Admiral Hayes and his cohort of like minded bigots had not only insinuated but made quite blatant challenges to much of her evidence. Again and again: picking at every decision that did not have Tuvok's trusted influence stamped all over it. Whenever she had had a command conference with her executive officer and had subsequently accepted his counsel and modified a command decision - even when it was blatantly the 'Starfleet' thing to do - they had queried whether her change of mind had more to do with a change of heart...

Then suddenly, six days into her solitary interrogation, they had abruptly changed tack. The remainder of the incidents and first contacts that they were due to review, including some of her more dubious command decisions, such as over the Hirogen and Species 8472...were abruptly skimmed over. Within days everything was 'rubber stamped' and she was called in to see Admirals Hancock and Nechayev, neither of whom had been present for any of her debriefing sessions. Her formal service record had been given a glowing report and she had subsequently been promoted to Vice Admiral. There and then.

She had known that Tuvok had been given a similarly intense and intrusive debrief and assumed that his vouching for her, along with the many abjectly apparent successes of the last seven years, had finally persuaded them to see sense. Perhaps also some behind the scenes advocacy by Owen Paris and Clive Thornberry, both highly regarded Admirals and firm friends of the Janeway family.

So she had accepted the posting and been given an office and staff adjacent to Alynna Nechayev. Officially she was to be her assistant in the first instance, with responsibility for allocating the most appropriate Captains and crews to the myriad research, first contact and reclamation missions generated in the aftermath of the Dominion War.

She had thrown herself whole heartedly into this new endeavour. Partly to give herself as little time as possible to contemplate her non-existent personal life and predominantly to prove to the Admiralty that their concerns about her were unfounded. That she could deliver on all fronts. Working together as a team, leading where necessary and deferring to those that still outranked her. This latter being the greatest bone of contention amongst her hardcore detractors.

She had become so engrossed with proving herself to Starfleet that she had not taken the time she should have to follow up on the lives of her senior staff. She had, of course, signed off many of the transfer orders, resignations and promotions for the remainder of her crew and kept an eye on the Voyagers' social message boards. But she had consciously avoided all her senior staff bar Tuvok who had returned to Vulcan to begin his prolonged treatment program. To be honest she felt humiliated.

That Chakotay and Seven had played her for a fool. The last to know and still harbouring hopes for a future together when all the time the others were fully aware that he had moved on. She had remembered how tactile she had still been with him on the Bridge; her heightened hopes after he had rescued her from Quarra; how the Doctor and Seven had seemed to be growing closer...she had had high hopes of the budding of a romance there...

So when Sekaya had challenged her point blank that she believed the Captain would never have bothered to check up on the welfare of her brother if it hadn't been for Annika's intervention - and Chakotay had said nothing, no longer instinctively jumping to her defence - she had hesitated. She didn't truly know the answer. She was sure that she would have : eventually. Once the dust had settled and they were all established in their new Alpha Quadrant lives. When any residual fantasies of her and Chakotay were just that. Long forgotten gossip and ancient history.

She had tried to defend herself by using the 'smokescreen' mission that Owen Paris had hastily assigned her. To join the U.S. on their about to depart aid mission to Cardassia Prime and report on the rebuilding of Locaran City. As her former First Officer was currently staying with family on Dorvan V she had been allowed to take three weeks leave to touch base with him and any other former crew whose homes were within the DMZ before the Corona would pick her up and she would spend another two months assisting the Cardassian provisional government with co-ordinating the allocation of personnel and equipment on secondment from Starfleet. She had seventeen former Voyagers within transporter range so it was a legitimate excuse. She would have touched base with him now, regardless.

It was a cowardly get out and she could see that neither Sekaya or, more importantly, Chakotay were really buying it. Realising that she was not going to make further progress tonight and becoming aware of just how exhausted Chakotay looked, she stood to make her excuses and leave. Sekaya did at least do them the courtesy of retreating to the kitchen whilst Chakotay went to see Kathryn out.

As they stood at the door, caught in an awkward silence, so unlike the quiet companionship of old : she handed him a PADD. "These are my contact details for the next three months Chakotay. I will be here on Dorvan for another three weeks and then I have to head out to Cardassia Prime unless..."

She could see that he was struggling to stand and his eyes bore a pained expression. He was obviously waiting for her to leave so that he could retire to his bed. "Unless I am needed and wanted here?...You know where to find me. Please Chakotay, when you are rested...we need to talk. Alone." She leant in and kissed him lightly on the cheek noting how cold and clammy his skin felt. Briefly she put her hand over his heart and looked into his eyes, trying to convey as much love and concern as she could without him detecting any sign of pity.

With that she had walked across the clearing until she was out of sight amongst the trees and called for a site to site beam out.

Now she needed to talk to Seven.

Twenty minutes later and she had filled Seven in on what she has been confronted with and the severity of the situation. Sekaya was going to be a significant obstacle, at least in the short term. Chakotay had started to open up to her, finally admitting that his heart muscle had suffered extensive damage during that energy surge when he had been hit next to the warp core. She remembered him telling her about the incident over dinner that evening, Voyager having been split into several temporal zones through which only he could cross. The Doctor had determined that there was only one effective form of treatment. Modified nanoprobes : as had been used to resurrect Neelix a few years beforehand. Only Chakotay had flatly refused. He had not been forthcoming as to why and Kathryn had been gently pushing when Sekaya had stormed back into the room and the moment was lost.

Seven was silent for a moment as she pondered "Vice Admiral..."

"Just Kathryn in this context. Please Seven..."

"Then I am also Annika. Kathryn, I think you need to talk to our Doctor : urgently. I suspect that Chakotay's situation is rather more pressing than he has confessed. Even now. When I saw him off at the space port three weeks ago he was obviously very unwell. I surreptitiously scanned him whilst we sat and ate. I realise this was an intrusion of privacy but...suffice to say that my findings solidified my decision to contact you."

"Go on Annika. I meant what I said in my office the other day. I need to know everything if I am going to stand the best chance of helping him."

"He knows that the only effective means of repair at this stage of cellular degradation is Borg regenerative nanoprobes. As soon as the Doctor had confirmed his diagnosis he asked me whether I could synthesise them and modify with the program specifics he would give me. Only the patient was to remain anonymous. I have already made a test cluster but in order for them to be activated they have to be programmed to the exact genetic code of the recipient. This is beyond the Doctor's current capabilities so the only solution was to break patient confidentiality and tell me who I was designing for. The Doctor had been reluctant because he thought I would not be able to retain my impartiality because he believed I had been in a romantic partnership with the Commander for some time."

Annika stopped and held the gaze of her former Captain.

Kathryn could see Annika was struggling with some internal conflict but she needed to press her. There was so little time ..."Please, Annika. I know this is hard but we know that he has already had at least one cardiac arrest since arriving here. We must act now or..."

"I understand. Chakotay, he flatly refused. I thought it was because he did not want to be reminded quite so blatantly that I am still part Borg. That...he was afraid of being...partially assimilated by me. I ...I spoke to him about this and he does have issues but not so much with me. With the whole Riley Fraser situation and with Unimatrix Zero. He still has nightmares about your assimilation. That is why he avoided visiting you in sickbay when you returned from the cube until..."

"Until I was fully human again. At least on the outside." Kathryn could see where this was going. She did need to speak to Voyager's doctor but perhaps also to Starfleet Medical. There may well be another avenue, as yet unexplored.

Annika pushed on "But it is more complicated than that. Those last couple of months on Voyager...when we put our 'smokescreen' into action ...I came to understand him. His spiritual side. I had been ...frustrated...by his fascination with the Ventu. I felt that he was wasting time on irrelevancies when we should have been focussed on overcoming the barrier and returning to Voyager. It was a challenging mission. Then he came to see me in the Cargo Bay and insisted I keep the blanket. He said that it would be a reminder of the first genuine friendship I had formed with that young tribal girl. That I would come to treasure it over time. He was right."

Annika paused to gather her thoughts. "He believes on a fundamental, subconscious level that Borg technology...it steals the soul...it is not rational yet...Assimilation does draw the individual experiences away from that body and into the collective consciousness. Chakotay believes that after he was linked to Riley Fraser's collective that...a part of him was lost. He said that he could no longer find his animal guide during his vision quests. That he had given up on them soon after and then...Unimatrix Zero. ...he...he thinks..."

Kathryn knew that they were about to get to the crux of the matter. She could guess. "He thinks that a part of me was lost too. That I changed and our...connection...was weakened. Maybe broken and then...Jaffen?"

Annika nodded. "He told the Doctor that given the choice of nanoprobes and living without his soul or bodily death and walking with his ancestors' spirits. There was no competition. Besides, when he found out that the Admiralty was questioning your integrity as regards the Maquis but him in particular...he told me on that first night in the Mess Hall. That.." Annika could feel her ocular implant was again malfunctioning as the tears started to cascade down her face. "The only way he could lift this burden from you would be to sacrifice himself to the Delta Quadrant before we ever found a way home. I think he would have done it too. To save you...your reputation and career. That is why I suggested the ploy I did. I had to come up with something to give him hope. I...I am sorry Kathryn."

"Oh Annika. It is I who am sorry. I had no idea and I should have had. That he was suffering so much and you were carrying such an enormous burden. Chakotay owes you his life and so do I. Thank you for your compassion, your love and your...ingenuity. I have to speak to Starfleet Medical, could you find out who is heading up the cardiac research department for me? And I will liaise with our EMH. Let's touch base again this time tomorrow. And...thank you again. From the bottom of my heart. We are both so lucky to have such a friend as you."

Annika found that she was lost for words. She just nodded at the desolate face of her friend and mentor and they simultaneously cut the connection.

—

It may well be after 0100 hours but he was a hologram at the end of the day so she did not feel too guilty contacting him now. Besides, there was no way she was going to sleep tonight. She was just so...anguished ...and plagued with the worst guilt she had ever experienced. And that was saying something for Kathryn Janeway! Not only had she failed to give Chakotay the benefit of the doubt as soon as the Admiral had told her about his 'romance' with Seven but she had been oblivious to his poor health and failing heart. She thought of all the missions she had sent him on since that plasma strike in Engineering. The void they had travelled through and the strains that had entailed; Quarra and Chakotay's injuries and ill treatment by both herself and the rogue medics; Friendship One; the shuttle crash and his injuries that went untreated for several days trapped behind the barrier with only the primitive Ventu medicine. Thank goodness Seven had been to hand on that last mission. But she was also furious with the Doctor for concealing the matter from her. She was the Captain and it was the Captain's job to assign dangerous away missions to his or her First Officer. Therefore the Captain had an absolute right to know if that Officer was not fit for duty, regardless of medical confidentiality.

At last the connection was made and Voyager's former chief medical officer appeared on the Vid screen.

"Ah, Vice Admiral it is good to see you. Can I be of assistance at this ungodly hour?"

"Doctor, yes you can. Perhaps if I enlighten you, that I arrived earlier today at Dorvan V to visit Chakotay..." .The Doctor was astute enough to look sheepish. "I understand Admiral. It must have been a shock to see him like that. I have already spoken to Annika, briefly, a few minutes ago. I...I thought you might call."

"Doctor, we don't have time for prevarication. From what I saw today and gathered from his sister, Sekaya, it is apparent that his health is deteriorating very rapidly. Is it still the case that the only viable treatment option are Annika's modified nanoprobes?"

"I'm afraid so. And there is another problem. The original probes were replicated and modified several weeks ago. They have since been in long term cryo-storage - to keep their replication rate to a minimum - but having already been encrypted with Chakotay's human DNA they have undergone several random point mutations. They are probably all but useless as a clinical tool at this stage. I would need a fresh sample of Chakotay's cardiomyocytes and also a fresh sample of nanoprobes from Annika, then another six or seven days to replicate sufficient for the procedure. Do I take it that the Commander has changed his mind and agreed to go ahead with treatment now?"

Of course he hadn't : but he would. She would ensure that, whatever it took to persuade him. "Not yet Doctor. But he will. Please pack all the equipment and notes you will need and ask Annika to meet you tomorrow evening at Admiral Paris's office. I will send the formal request through command channels and speak to Owen myself to get you both shipped out here on the fastest transport Starfleet can muster."

"Then I suggest that we contact our favourite helmsman and arrange for the Delta Flyer to be temporarily assigned to you." The Doctor smiled at his old friend warmly. At last, things were taking a turn for the better.

"Great minds think alike Doctor. I'll see you here at MacQuarrie Spaceport in one week's time. At the latest. Tell Mr. Paris he has my permission to take the Flyer as close to the warp threshold as he can muster from her."

With that she cut the connection and sent an encrypted subspace message to Tom & B'Elanna, explaining the basics and asking for both their help. If anyone could enhance the Flyer's capabilities at short notice: it was B'Elanna Torres-Paris.

Fortunately by the time she made the connection to Owen Paris it was 0537 hours so early but not unreasonably so. She knew Owen would be up and about, reviewing his schedule for the day ahead. He was initially reluctant, especially when he realised that his son would be called away for several weeks at less than a day's notice, but once fully appraised of the situation he assured her that the paperwork would be patched through to Utopia Planatia in time for the day shift handover at 0800. He would speak to Tom himself - if his son didn't pre-empt him - and the Delta Flyer plus it's rescue crew would be en route before the day was out.

Kathryn thanked him profusely and cut the channel. Now she had six days in which to salvage her relationship with Chakotay sufficiently to banish his demons. And get him to trust her enough to undergo the procedure. She had changed her mind about asking Starfleet Medical for a Plan B. For a start, it would take too long. Time they just didn't have. She knew it deep within herself. She had felt Chakotay's warmth and strength draining away from him by the hour. Sekaya's obvious distress and hostility towards her confirmed the worst. Chakotay had no doubt been putting on as brave a face as he could muster in her presence. She wondered just what Sekaya was witness to when the two of them were alone.

She had given Chakotay her details and left the ball in his court to contact her. She would give him a couple of days to show up. If not she would have to confront him again on his own turf. She would rather not have it come to that but time was running out. He had sacrificed so much for her, even putting his life on the line : still. Now it was her turn to do the same for him.

—

The dawn chorus had just begun when he started to regain consciousness. He felt groggy and as soon as he started to lift his head from the pillow a wave of nausea swept over him. His heart was racing and his clammy tea shirt was welded to his torso. He could hear someone pottering about in the kitchen. Sekaya. She had obviously stayed the night after he had seen Kathryn out.

Kathryn? Then he remembered. The events of the day before came flooding back. Seeing Sekaya suddenly marching up the lane from her cottage, being curious when he had seen a figure approaching in the distance. Deciding to wander over and reassure whichever of their friends and neighbours had come to check up on him. Since he had arrived on Dorvan, Sekaya's extensive social network had spread the word of her infamous brother's arrival and subsequently his poor health. There had been a steady stream of tribal women bringing offerings of food and clothing, curtains and cushions for his home, and much (often uncalled for) advice. They had all meant well and initially had been welcome but it was becoming a little too much for him. He had assumed it was one of these visits. Although he had been resting on his bed for most of the afternoon he wanted to give the impression that he was on the mend. Up and about and that it was all a storm in a teacup. So he had wandered slowly down behind the tree line. No need to be seen stumbling along and holding onto the trunks for support! Then he had realised who the visitor was. He would have recognised that fiery red hair and the blue sundress she had worn so often on New Earth, anywhere. He wondered why she had chosen to wear it today of all days. A peace offering perhaps?

He had been overjoyed by her belated declaration of love but he knew that Sekaya was not buying it. She was still firmly of the opinion that Kathryn was motivated in equal part by guilt at doubting him and a need to always control every situation. To play the Captain until the bitter end. And she probably did also pity him. How could she not? Even he thought he looked pitiable when he saw his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It had been bad enough when Annika had turned up, unexpectedly, at the spaceport over three weeks ago to see him off. He had looked twenty years older than he had on disembarkation of Voyager. Now? Add another decade at least. Yup, last night he had caught his reflection when washing before bed. He looked as old as Admiral Janeway when she had appeared on Voyager to change history. Only a much sicker version of a septuagenarian.

Kathryn had left her contact details on a small PADD. At least Sekaya had had the decency to leave that on his bedside table. He had been half afraid he would wake up to find his sister had recycled it during the night. Mind you, that would have given him an excuse to bide his time. He did want to speak to her. To salvage whatever they could at this late stage. Make their peace before the spirits took him permanently. But.

She now knew the seriousness of his medical situation and he knew Kathryn : she would not leave it be. No doubt she had already spoken to Voyager's old EMH and she would have persuaded him to divulge all. She had probably touched base with Annika too. She was another problem he did not know how he felt about. Was he angry at her for breaking her promise to keep silent? Yes and no. She hadn't fully divulged his illness, only their 'smokescreen'. No doubt in the hope that her former Captain and mentor could repair her friendship with Annika's new friend. Himself. She had been left to battle alone with emotional conundrums that were beyond her limited life experience to process. She had become a pariah to most of their former crew once their little ploy had become public knowledge. Even the Doctor was nursing his wounds and dented ego. So she had no one to turn to. It was natural that she would eventually seek out Kathryn.

So, he would have to go and meet Kathryn today. Before she returned here. He was not sure of much, except that this was not Sekaya's business. She had not been out there with them so she didn't fully understand. He needed to speak to Kathryn alone. Though he was still unsure about what he would say and how he wanted the next few days to play out. She would be gone on the U.S. in twenty days and he knew that he would no longer be in the land of the living by the time her mission to Cardassia Prime was complete. All the time they had left were the few days here on Dorvan.

—-

Tom cut the connection with his father. He felt numb. He had only just finished speaking to the Doc and hadn't even had a chance to process what he had been told - yet alone speak with 'Lanna - when his father's urgent orders had come through. Followed by a Vid link up five minutes later.

He was to immediately make his way to Utopia Planatia along with his wife and they were to prepare the Delta Flyer for an urgent medical mission to Dorvan V. Their Flyer was still the fastest shuttle in the fleet although B'Elanna would have to spend the first couple of days re-assembling her. Fleet's engineers had already started dissembling her piece by piece to analyse all her systems with the objective of incorporating her best novel components into the next generation of shuttles for the Galaxy Class starships. Of course, Dad had given them blanket authority to use whichever personnel and resources at the shipyard that they would require. The mission had top priority.

He also knew his Dad was going out on a major limb for Kathryn Janeway. After all, Chakotay had resigned his field commission as soon as they had finished the de-briefings, and as a former Maquis he also knew that Starfleet did not regard him as one of their own. So this was entirely for their former Captain's benefit. He also knew from Tuvok just how much pressure had been put on her. He could imagine what kind. It was obvious. Chakotay had been the First Officer out there for the entire seven years of their journey, yet had only been de-briefed for three days, whilst Tuvok was interrogated for ten weeks and the Captain a fortnight beyond that. Starfleet had obviously believed that the command team's relationship was anything but professional. And then suddenly a complete volte facae. She was promoted to Vice Admiral and everything in the garden was rosy. Now they knew why. Seven.

She had apparently become aware of Admiral Hayes insinuations, which Chakotay had admitted to her, began almost from the first day they had made contact with HQ back in the Delta Quadrant. It had apparently been getting progressively worse and so she had hatched this ingenious charade to negate the rumours. And it had worked. As soon as her supposed romantic relationship with the former Maquis Captain had filtered back to Command, Hayes had been overruled and the record set straight. Only it had all been a fabrication based on a holodeck fantasy that he had created. Never mind Captain Proton, it was Seven of Nine who had saved the day. And they had all treated her like dirt. All taken the rumours at face value and ostracised both Seven and their friend Chakotay into the bargain. And look where that had led them to! He had some serious making up to do. Time to speak to 'Lanna who would set the record straight with the rest of the crew whilst he beamed over to Medical to liaise with the Doc. Then both he and 'Lanna would pay Annika (as she was now to be known) a visit and try to begin the healing process before they shipped out to the space dock tomorrow morning. They had a hectic few days ahead. He just hoped that Kathryn could keep Chakotay's mind and body together until they arrived.

—

Annika sat, drinking the enhanced concoction of electrolytes, vitamins and proteins that the Doctor had synthesised for her to replenish her systems. They had just extracted a further set of nanoprobes which the Doctor was going to program and allow to replicate to optimal density on route to Dorvan V. Obviously, they could not begin the final adaptations until they arrived and could obtain an up to date biopsy from Chakotay's heart muscle. As she sat, watching the Doctor, Tom and his team busily gathering equipment and making plans : she wondered. Would it all be in vain? It was odd, everyone seemed to believe that Kathryn and Chakotay were soulmates, with this unspoken instinctive understanding between them and yet...no one was considering Chakotay's wishes. He had been adamant that he would not accept Borg nanoprobe technology as a means to extend his life. To her, it WAS irrational, yes, but then for Chakotay his spirituality took precedence over mere scientific excellence. Just because they could keep his physical heart functioning and therefore keep him alive - would not be enough. Alive was...insufficient...if it was only skin deep. But how to convey this to them. She had tried to suggest to the Doctor that he may not accept once again. After all the previous modified probes had gone to waste in cold storage. But her reservations had been dismissed. This time it was different. The Captain was there with him. He would do it for her, they were all sure. Kathryn Janeway saves her crew yet again...Annika was not convinced.

—-

In the end he had sent a short text message to Kathryn, stating that he would be at the verandah tea room of her hotel at 1100 hours this morning and to meet him there. He had not waited for a reply. Sekaya had fussed around him and insisted on staying until he had consumed a hearty breakfast and kept it all down for at least an hour. He had forced himself to do so and once she was convinced that he was simply going to sit in the front room and read for the day, she had reluctantly agreed to leave him in peace. He knew that she would re-appear around dusk , regardless, so he would need to be back from his meeting with Kathryn by 2100 at the latest. Though he doubted whether either of them would want the meeting to last that long. He would not be very good company, having so little energy, so would not be able to show her the sights for more than an hour or so at best. As for conversation, well there was little future to discuss. At least as far as his existence was concerned. But he would divulge everything as regarded himself and Seven. All that she had done for them over the last few months. It was important that Kathryn understood and then rectified the situation with the rest of the Voyagers. Crushed all those false rumours and repaired some of those fledgling friendships that Seven had begun to enjoy with Harren, Celes, Sam Wildman , Marla Gilmore and most of the senior staff before their supposed romance had come to light. He was still unsure as to how deeply she truly felt for him. Her reaction today would be a strong indicator. He had no doubt that she would have planned to railroad him into accepting the Doctor's planned cure. A Borg nanite synthesised 'heart'. The Doctor meant well, they all did, but it was not for him. If Kathryn truly respected his beliefs, who he was within his soul, then she would back down. If she did not, then Sekaya was right. It was a need to alleviate her guilt and to take control of a situation that was not hers to dictate. Regardless, this would be a difficult day, for both of them. He hoped that by the end of it they would have restored their friendship and there would be enough love left to spend his last few days with her. Enjoying a quiet companionship amongst the people and surroundings that were for him, home.

—

She had arrived for 1045 and gotten them a table in the sunshine, just as Chakotay always liked. She sat half in the shade of the table umbrella, wishing her skin wasn't quite so fair. The Dorvan system sun was a good two million miles nearer to the fifth planet than that of Earth and it was a much younger star so it's ultraviolet UVA and UVB were about twenty five percent stronger. Ideally suited to Chakotay's genotype but too strong for her to go uncovered for more than about ten minutes. She had ordered them both a sparkling mineral water and a light salad. Something hopefully easy for him to digest and easy to nibble on : facilitating conversation.

She had already decided that she would let him make the opening moves and dictate the pace whilst she would try and steer him onto the topic of his health and possible treatments once they were more at ease. She was both craving his company and dreading it : in equal measure. As she spoke, B'Elanna would be optimising the Flyer's systems and Tom and the Doctor would be stocking up with all the medical supplies they would need to treat Chakotay here. Seven would also join them, in case they needed more nanoprobes and to carry out the re-programming as soon as they had the up to date biopsy sample from Chakotay. She hoped that the compromise, that he could be treated here on Dorvan with their Doctor staying with him until after her mission to Cardassia was completed : that he would accept the help. Sekaya would be with him as his day to day convalescent nurse and after the next couple of weeks or so, she Kathryn, would be at a distance for the following two months. Giving them all space and time to heal. That was the plan she had to convey to him in such a fashion that he would accept. He had to know that there was something worth living and fighting for, even if the cost was adapting to a small amount of Borg technology in one organ.

She was just running through the conversation in her head when Chakotay arrived. She put on her warmest smile and desperately hoped that she had masked the shock in her eyes in time for him to have missed it. She had seen him yesterday, of course, but he had been in the shade of the trees then sitting -again out of the direct light - in his living room. Now he was walking towards her in the bright, unforgiving late morning sunlight of Dorvan V. He was gaunt and haggard looking. If she hadn't known better she would have guessed he was in his late sixties at least. A full twenty years older than his chronological age. There was a striking amount of grey in his hair and his face was deeply etched. Especially around the sides of the mouth and his forehead, distorting the pattern of his tattoo that was so familiar to her that she had forgotten it was an adornment rather than a marking from birth.

He sat and reached out a hand for her. "Kathryn, it is good to see you. Welcome to Dorvan V. Please excuse the rather frosty reception yesterday, it's just that you took us by surprise and Sekaya has had a hard time dealing with.." he gestured towards his face and heart "all this since I arrived. She had been looking forward to the return of her protective big brother and instead was presented with an aged invalid that she felt obliged to nursemaid. I do my best to dissuade her but we are family and it's always been her nature to nurture."

"Of course, Chakotay. I completely understand. It was thoughtless of me, I should have called ahead to give you at least a couple of hours warning before I beamed down. It's just that it has all been such a shock for me that I put my Captain's hat on and went into full Janeway mode!" She hoped that he would give her some leeway if she tried a little levity. "Please, tell me what the current situation is. I know from our EMH and Annika that your existing heart is expected to fail within the next six months without treatment but that they thought - before disembarkation from Voyager - that you could make a full recovery with the assistance of the adapted nanoprobes. Is that still the case?"

"No Kathryn, it's not. I've had one cardiac arrest and five TIA's since I arrived. I'll be lucky to last another month. Maybe six weeks if I don't exert myself at all. Frankly, even if the Doctor was to replicate the modified nanoprobes again today, it would probably be too late. The damage is far more extensive and my vasculature is now compromised along with my heart itself."

He looked up to see she had stilled and gone an even paler shade of white than usual. If that was possible. So she had been planning a 'rescue' for him. Perhaps they were on their way here now. "Let me guess, Kathryn. After we parted last night you took it upon yourself to ask the Doctor and Annika to get the next shuttle out here to try and repeat the procedure?"

So, she really was that transparent. Well she would lay it on the line.

"Yes I did. Actually the Delta Flyer will be leaving Utopia Planatia by the end of today with the Doctor, Tom, Annika and B'Elanna on board. I did arrange it by pulling a LOT of strings with more than one Admiral but they would have come whether I had gotten clearance or not. We are all Voyagers and we are your dearest friends. You can't really believe that we would sit by, knowing what we do, and do nothing?! Chakotay, I do understand. I was assimilated myself, as was 'Lanna in Unimatrix Zero. Poor Annika has spent two thirds of her life as a drone. You have my word that we would never be considering this procedure if there was any chance of having that effect on you. All this will do, and yes I have studied the Doctor's detailed clinical notes overnight, is clone your own natural healthy heart cells and the nanoprobes will stabilise the genetic sequence. They will never leave your heart cells and enter the rest of your circulation. And they cannot in any way, shape or form, affect your mind."

She placed her other hand over his laying on the table. Please, please let him trust me once again.

Chakotay looked at her. After all these years and she still did not fully understand. He wished he had spent longer on New Earth, showing her his spiritual side. Instead he had meditated and spoken to his animal guide whilst she had been collecting insects and running her analyses on them. So she had only been aware of his absences as a peripheral event, rather than the truly significant groundings they had provided for him. Otherwise he could never have found the strength to advise her how to adapt to their new life and come to embrace it. Slowly teaching her how to live in the moment and be at peace with it. And she finally had, just before Tuvok had shattered their peace with Voyager's recall to their Starfleet lives.

He squeezed her hand lightly. "Kathryn, I know you mean well but you should contact the Flyer and tell them to abandon the mission before they set off. I will not be accepting any technological cures. Now or ever. For our people, the essence of whom we are does not reside solely in the brain, but suffuses our whole being. In particular the heart and lungs. The heart courses our lifeblood around the body. The life blood carries the memories of our tribe and the sum of our individual experiences. The lungs breath life into that blood. Trying to take my heart out and replacing it with a Borg regulated one would be like removing the symbiont from a Trill host. Take the symbiont out and the host dies. Replace my heart and I die. Maybe not physically but the essence of Chakotay would be lost. I know that does not sound rational to you but do you remember the time when Kes touched that energy barrier in the temple? You tried all the scientific approaches to save her and the barrier's forcefield registered lethal radiation levels. By all scientific standards it would be suicide for you to walk through it. But you did. Simply by making a leap of faith and trusting in those people's beliefs. And you were unharmed and Kes was saved. This situation is similar. It will not make scientific sense to you but I am asking you to have faith in my judgment one last time. Can you do that for me?"

This was not going at all the way she had planned. How could she say no, without disrespecting everything his people held dear but if she accepted what he was asking her to...then within weeks he would be lost to her forever.

Chakotay watched the internal conflict raging within Kathryn. The Captain - sorry Vice Admiral now, he corrected himself - wanted to carry on with her mission. Order him to go along with whatever plan the Doctor had cooked up. Whilst Kathryn was trying her hardest to understand, to accept his ways. Whatever the cost to them both.

She was conflicted and could only see that she needed to buy herself more time. It would take another six days for the Flyer and their friends to arrive. She would compromise with him for now. "Chakotay, I do not understand from a scientific perspective but I do respect your beliefs and your customs. It is also, of course, ultimately your decision what treatment you have or indeed whether you have any at all. Personally, I will fight to the bitter end to change your mind. To give yourself - and the two of us - a chance at a real and full life together. At long last. So if you are going to refuse our help you can tell our dear friends yourself. They will arrive at MacQuarrie spaceport in six days time. On board they have everything that the Doctor thinks he will need to successfully treat you. I hope you will reconsider and agree to try. If not, then you can spend your last days making peace with and saying your farewells to your closest friends. I won't tell them not to come. Even if I did there is no way that Tom & 'Lanna would obey such an order. And you know it!"

So she still had all her fire and passion, even back home and now tied to an Admiralty desk most of the time. And she was right, he would like to spend time with all four of the people rushing to his rescue, along with Kathryn, of course. Actually it would be good for Sekaya to meet them. To meet Annika and realise that she was far more human than Borg these days. Perhaps Tom, 'Lanna, the Doc and Kathryn were only just starting to realise that too. Good. Then their coming all the way out here would not be a wasted journey, even without saving his physical body.

"Alright Kathryn. Let them come. Dorvan V is a beautiful and peaceful place these days. I would love our friends to enjoy a few days here with us. Be warned, I will not change my mind about the clinical procedures but I do wish to spend time with each and every one of you. One of you...in particular."

She was determined not to cry and not to give in but was at a loss as to what would sway him to change his mind. Sekaya? Hardly likely, she was most probably the one re-enforcing their tribal beliefs and customs in Chakotay's mind. Their Voyager friends were all scientists of one sort or another and if she couldn't change his mind then they would have even less chance of doing so. She needed some time to herself to gather her thoughts but first she and Chakotay had a few precious hours together.

"Then let's not waste a minute of it. Are you up to a gentle stroll around this beautiful little town? Then perhaps you can show me the landscape around your homestead. We can take a hover car for that. I'll drive and you point out the sights. How does that sound?"

"Perfect." And with that his eyes lit up for the first time since she had arrived almost twenty four hours ago.

—-

At last they had cleared the outer perimeter beacon as they left the Terran system. B'Elanna and Seven were exhausted after spending a solid sixteen hours re-assembling and upgrading the Flyer's systems. But they had pulled it off, together. Now Tom was piloting with the Doc at Tactical to give his Emergency Command Hologram program a little much needed exercise. At least that was his excuse. Seven had confided in her that she thought his real motivation was that he wanted to feel useful, not really having anything to do for the rest of the journey. Besides, he just loved the sound of his own voice and the opportunity to boss Tom around was just too enticing an opportunity to let pass! So, whilst the boys were 'having fun' up front she and Seven were on a rest break with a hastily replicated supper. They had six hours until they needed to relieve Tom and the Doc and they were both still too fired up to sleep so this was her opportunity to get the full picture.

"So Seven, what's the real deal with you and Chakotay? Tom has told me the gist but I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth."

Seven looked perplexed. "What has the mouth of a tetra-pedal beast of burden got to do with my friendship with Chakotay?"

B'Elanna nearly choked on her sandwich. "It's a figure of speech Seven. I guess I have picked up a few too many from all Tom's twentieth century B movie type holo-programs. Sorry! It means I would like to hear your version of events. From how you came up with the whole dating ploy to what happened afterwards. If that's okay with you?"

Annika considered as she watched their former chief engineer gobble down the rest of her food. A few months ago she would never have complied but lately she had come to appreciate B'Elanna Torres-Paris. She had mellowed after marriage and becoming a mother herself, and she was very close to Chakotay. Almost a sister to him. "Alright B'Elanna, I will comply. Though I prefer to be called Annika these days. I was Seven before Chakotay and I started our 'smokescreen' dating scenario but by the time we arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant Annika was truly asserting herself. I have the Commander to thank for that."

Now B'Elanna was truly intrigued. "Annika it is from now on. I owe you an apology, we all got you wrong because we assumed the worst. I hope we can begin to repair our friendship. And Annika...my friends call me 'Lanna. I hope you will too from now on."

She simply nodded then began the tale. It was over an hour later when she wound up with the conversation she had had with Kathryn the night before. "So you see, we now have to hope that Kathryn can persuade Chakotay to accept our help but I am doubtful. I just wish there was another way which did not involve having to use my nanoprobes."

B'Elanna felt awful. Annika had done so much to try and help save Kathryn and Chakotay's relationship from being sullied by the Admiralty and what had they all done. Assumed the worst of both her and Chakotay and allowed the gossip to spread to the lower decks unchallenged. She had been ostracised because they had all wanted a scapegoat and none of them had wanted that to be Chakotay. So they had laid the blame solely at Annika's door. Now it was her job to find a solution. She was the chief engineer after all and had known Chakotay for fifteen years. There had to be another solution and she had five days before they reached Dorvan to come up with it.

"Thank you for being so honest with me Annika. We must get some rest then speak with the Doctor tomorrow. If we all put our heads together I'm sure we will think of a Plan B. We are Voyagers after all. For the last seven years we have survived on Plan B, Plan C right through to the fly by the seat of your pants Plan Z, as my husband would say. We can do this girl friend." 'Lanna put her hand up and showed Annika how to 'high five'. They grinned at each other before dimming the lights and settling down for a well earned sleep.

—-

It was 1830 hours when they beamed back to Chakotay's cottage. Kathryn had wanted to return earlier but he had been determined to keep going as long as he was able. Lunchtime and early afternoon had been spent strolling along the river that ran through the centre of Adjar township. Fortunately the ground was pretty level so they had managed walking slowly interspersed with resting on various benches, admiring the view and watching the world go by. It was only after they had beamed back to the site where Kathryn had arrived the day before and started the mile long steady incline to the twin cottages that the situation had deteriorated. Chakotay was struggling for breath with the slightest slope and it was too hot, even following the tree line for some overhead shade. Fifteen minutes of that was enough for Kathryn to insist on a site to site transport straight into his cottage. She was still kicking herself for not enforcing the hover car option earlier.

Chakotay had gone to lie on his bed and Kathryn was just preparing some tea and a light snack when Sekaya barged in. Ignoring Kathryn completely she rushed through to the main bedroom. One look at her brother's deathly pallor and the fact that he could not even sum up the energy to re-assure her and she had had enough. Marching back out to the kitchen she confronted Kathryn.

"Leave that. I will cook for him. Go back to your hotel then back to your starship. You are not wanted here. One day. That is all. I let him out of my sight for just a few hours and look what you have done. He can barely open his eyes he is so exhausted. You are the cause of all his suffering. I know. I made him tell me about Voyager and read all the reports from the Federation news. All those energy barriers he had to pass through, the Borg alcove you connected him up to, those shuttle crashes, the fights with the Kazon and the 8472 and all those other aliens. He put his life on the line again and again...for you."

Kathryn knew she was only trying to protect her brother but she had to make her understand. "Sekaya, space flight is inherently dangerous. As Starfleet Officers we often have to put ourselves in the way of danger to protect our crews; innocent alien civilisations; to prevent war. Yes, Chakotay has done this often, in the line of duty : for the greater good."

Sekaya was furious at this sanctimonious Starfleet Captain. "No Captain - or is it Admiral these days? No matter, I am not stupid. We knew and came to accept the sacrifices our brother made when he first put that uniform on over thirty years ago to attend that academy of yours. But I am not referring to that. I am referring to the risks he took solely for you. Because he was...and is...in love with you. But you already know that don't you? You have used it to your advantage for years. And it has cost him his future. He has so little time left. You have already monopolised so much of it, can't you find the decency to leave him to spend his last few weeks with his true family?"

It felt like a punch in the gut. Sekaya had hit on Kathryn's secret fear ever since Annika had divulged all to her in her office ten days ago. That it truly was all her fault. And now she could only make amends by walking away and leaving Chakotay to Sekaya's tender care. That his younger sister would prioritise him for the rest of her days Kathryn had no doubt. Perhaps she had been wrong to come here...and to summon the others...if Chakotay wanted to spend his last days here on Dorvan with his blood family then she should respect that. "Alright Sekaya. I will return to my hotel. Our friends from Voyager will be here in four days time. We will not disturb you again until we are sure Chakotay wishes to see us. Please let him know I have said this. Will you do that for me if I grant your wish to stay away?"

Sekaya glared at her before eventually giving one curt nod and putting her hand out for the soup ladle. Kathryn handed it over then headed to Chakotay's room and peeped through the doorway. He was sound asleep. Before she had time to talk herself out of it she had crept across to his bed and knelt down beside it. Kissing him gently on the forehead she whispered to his sleeping form "Forgive me Chakotay. For everything. I have loved you almost since the day we met and I always will. Sekaya will take care of you now but know that I will come if you ever want me. Just call for me and I will be here. Always."

She then marched out of the cottage and headed towards the transport site without looking back. Sekaya had watched and heard everything though she had made a show of clattering the pots and pans in the background so Kathryn would be unaware of her. She had heard the pain in his former Captain's voice and seen the unshed tears threatening to spill over as soon as the older woman was sure she was out of Sekaya's sight. She had been deliberately cruel to Kathryn because she needed to see her reaction. It had been telling. Especially the devastated look in her clear blue eyes when Sekaya had held her personally responsible for Chakotay's suffering. Whatever she had said in her defence the eyes did not lie. Kathryn blamed herself and she did genuinely love him. That was apparent. She would think some more and see how her brother fared over the next few days. Perhaps, if he was stronger by Thursday, she would allow his friends to visit for a while. She hoped B'Elanna would be with them. She had always liked the half Klingon woman. The others she would not know. More born and bred Starfleet she suspected. Sekaya's attention was drawn back to the present with a hiss and bubble as the soup started to boil over and with that all further thoughts were confined to the here and now.

—

It had been two days now with no word from Kathryn whilst Sekaya had been difficult, to say the least, to prise away from his side. He appreciated her love and concern for him but strongly suspected that she had said something to drive Kathryn away. He had valued the heart to heart and the time she had spent with him. Although it had proved a shorter day than he had hoped - his stamina just not up to the task of playing tour manager - they had talked properly for the first time in months.

There was still the impasse as regards his future, but he felt that she had at last opened up to him about the effects his and Annika's 'smokescreen' had wrought on her. He had been surprised to hear that it was the older version of herself who had blown the whistle and astounded that she had added fuel to the fire by telling Kathryn that he would go on to marry Seven! Somehow, he still doubted that that was the truth, even in the Admiral's original timeline. He and Annika had become good friends, that was true, but he saw her very much as a daughter figure. The more so as her humanity continued to emerge. Besides, he knew from Voyager's database that he was actually a few months older than Annika's biological father. So even if the Admiral had not come back to change all their destinies, he would have still had the same background knowledge as he did now.

Besides, he still felt a very real revulsion for all things Borg related. He could not forget the temporary linking to Riley Fraser's re-constructed Collective and he had had nightmares in which she transformed into the Borg Queen and vice versa. Then, much as he tried, he could not forget the log mission reports from Unimatrix Zero. The images of Tuvok, B'Elanna and...yes Kathryn, transformed into grotesque Borg parodies of themselves. He had not visited any of them in sickbay until the Doctor had removed the external devices, not wanting to increase his brain's reportoire of subconscious horror to plague his dreams. Cowardly he knew, but necessary if he was the function effectively as the substitute Captain, Tactical Officer and Chief Engineer for the duration of their recovery.

He had admired and respected Kathryn's courage for wanting to help Seven and could see the bigger picture but it had also been incredibly reckless. The chances of pulling it off and all three of them surviving without being permanently damaged, if not entirely assimilated, had been minuscule. They had no other starships to back them up and would have had a command team consisting solely of himself, Tom Paris and Harry Kim had she failed. He had told her often enough that sometimes - more truthfully about half the time - she didn't know when to step back. Retreat. Accept the dangers were just too great. Whatever the rewards. She knew it and had often tried to placate him with platitudes. She always listened to his counsel; she would take as many precautions as possible; she would head up the away team herself rather than risk sacrificing another member of the crew; this would be the last time etc etc ...except it never was.

He had finally said all this to her two days ago and he felt she had finally taken it on board. Maybe it helped that they were on Dorvan, she was off-duty in civilian mode and he WAS a civilian again at long last. She had then opened up to him.

Ironically, she attributed her summing up the courage to take those risks to having his unwavering support backing her up. That she had understood the reason for his missing from sickbay, for the first time ever, after her being seriously injured on an away mission. Each had always been the first one to visit the other, demanding impossible reassurances from the Doctor that all would be well again. She had felt his subconscious pulling away from her for several months after that mission. 'Lanna had noticed too, his being equally tactile with her - in a purely platonic way of course - but there were no more playful shoves and back slaps on the holodeck exercise programs they took together. It was 'Lanna who had broached the subject with her over a game of velocity a couple of months after they got back. She had advised her friend to let him takes his time coming to terms and things would gradually get back to normal. Once he was confident that they weren't suddenly going to start sprouting Borg implants. If she was honest with him, both she and B'Elanna had had nightmares about exactly that. Probably Tuvok too, although he would never admit it : even to himself. Of course, after a few months things had seemed to settle down, and they were - at least on the surface - back to normal. But she had remembered. So she had been both surprised and pleased to see that by the end of their escapade with the Ventu, he and Seven seemed to be at least on more cordial terms. Prior to that she knew that he had barely tolerated Seven and interacted with her as little as it was possible for the First Officer to do. So Captain Janeway had just felt relieved, for both of them. But it would never have occurred to her that it was possible for Chakotay to feel anything more for someone so obviously Borg related. So to be told that not only were they dating but that they would eventually marry had been the most devastating emotional knock of her life!

She had dealt with it by distancing herself from both of them. In fact from all the senior staff bar Tuvok who was physically remote from the situation. Recovering from his early stage dementia back in the care of his family on Vulcan. She spoke to him about once a week and she understood that he was responding well to his mind meld therapy. The Vulcan physicians thought that he would be sufficiently recovered to resume his career in about eighteen months time should he choose to do so. Then Annika had burst into her office a few weeks ago and turned her world upside down again! She had felt so guilty for not seeing the obvious. She felt that she should have known him better after all these years. Put two and two together. After all, they had discussed Admiral Hayes offensive and innuendo laden questions on more than one occasion over the last few weeks out there in the DQ. She had, of course, played it down and assured him that she could handle it ...she should have been suspicious when he suddenly let the matter drop...then started 'dating' Seven. She had looked away at that point, trying to hide the sudden flush that rose to her cheeks, but he had seen it. She was embarrassed to say that she had believed their romance was real because she was feeling so insecure. There had been an unspoken tension in the air between them since the whole Jaffen relationship, the ongoing lower decks gossip about the two of them and then the intrusive questioning from HQ. To find she truly was all alone just as they reached home and she had those months of de-briefings to endure. Alone. Had hurt like hell.

So they had - finally - truly opened up to one another. He was glad but it had taken its toll and he had collapsed into his bed the moment they arrived home. Kathryn had promised to make something light to eat and some tea to drink. He had heard her pottering about in the kitchen then he must have fallen asleep. When he next awoke it was early morning and Sekaya was there, fussing around him as always. There was no sign of Kathryn and his sister had been very evasive when he asked when she had left. It was obvious the two women had had words and for Kathryn to back down and retreat Sekaya must have hit her emotionally where it hurt. He would give things a few days to settle then go and find her. Besides, no doubt the Delta Flyer would be here in another day or two and he did want to see his friends. Perhaps he would ask 'Lanna to visit Sekaya. The two of them had always seen eye to eye and perhaps she could act as peacemaker between his sister and Kathryn. 'Lanna loved and admired both women and besides, if diplomacy didn't work, B'Elanna could always solve things the Klingon way! That made him laugh out loud and brought Sekaya running.

"As you can see sister, I am feeling much better today after a good rest. All that exercise showing Kathryn around the sights of Adjar must have done me some good after all. Let's go for a stroll down to the river later. Perhaps you could pack us one of your famous picnic lunches?" He smiled at her. Sekaya just needed a little reassurance and some of his undivided attention. He would be busy enough catching up with his Voyager friends in a couple of days time. For now, he belonged to family.

—-

She had spent the last four days liaising with the four of them on the Flyer and also her team on the U.S. . She still had a mission to Cardassia to undertake once things were in progress here and the situation in Locaran City made for grim reading. Over eighty percent of the population had been wiped out by the Breen weapon and those that were left had suffered severe radiation poisoning. Starfleet had the medical technology to alleviate their symptoms but not to cure them. The dose absorbed by each of them was just too high. None of the survivors would ever be able to have their own biological children either. All their ovaries and tested were compromised so any child conceived would be born with multiple incurable pathologies, if they survived to term at all. The Doctor was liaising with her and making lots of 'off-the-record' suggestions which she felt would be very useful. She wanted to be able to actually be of some use on the mission, rather than just a token officer. Although she was here because Owen had needed to secure her rapid transit for her mercy dash to Dorvan she intended to fill the brief she had been given. She would help direct the research into how to clean up the contamination as quickly as possible and perhaps Annika's nanoprobes could help in that capacity, even if Chakotay could not be persuaded to accept her offer of a cure. Kathryn had briefly spoken to her on this subject and Annika seemed keen to help. She was working on a proposal now. Kathryn was also aware that it would help all four of them to have something other than Chakotay to occupy their time on the journey here. Tom had even joked to her that she had saved his sanity as he was finally left in peace in the cockpit whilst the other three worked on the Locaran City dilemma.

She would have loved to spend another day with Chakotay before the others arrived but he had not contacted her. She hoped it was because he was devoting a little time to his sister by choice rather than Sekaya acting as a dividing wall between his two worlds. She had also taken the opportunity to explore Adjar a little more. They had colourful street theatre and a lively market in the main square. She had indulged her love of shopping, given that it was a rare opportunity to do so, and acquired some beautiful hand embroidered throws, cushions and clothing for her apartment back home. She had also acquired a parasol so she could safely walk about in the intense sunshine without burning. Looking in the mirror she laughed at her reflection. She looked like Mary Poppins from her childhood fairy tales. Very un-Starfleet Admiral she teased herself. Perhaps she would go the the spaceport dressed this way tomorrow and see how long it took the others to recognise her!...

—

A wall of heat hit them with force as they exited the customs building onto the walkway to the town centre. Clustered around were groups of Dorvonians all looking for their friends and family. Apparently the Flyer had arrived at the same time as the once monthly civilian shuttle from the Bajoran sector. Which was fortunate as they were supposed to be blending in. Definitely no Starfleet uniforms and preferably local style clothing. Though B'Elanna had let out a few expletives when Kathryn had sent over the replicator specs. The women all wore long flowing cheesecloth dresses so she and Annika looked ridiculous! Tom thought it was hilarious whilst the Doctor actually liked the style. He had happily taken to the flamboyant tribal outfit adding his own idea of flare to it. Tom was just glad that it covered his arms and legs having almost as fair skin as Kathryn. Already he and Annika were flagging a little in the heat whereas 'Lanna found it invigorating. So where was Kathryn?

Annika spotted her first, no doubt her Borg cortical node adapting to the absurd costuming much more readily than the rest of their emotional biological brains. She immediately marched off and the other three hastened to catch her up. It wasn't until Annika actually stopped and started talking to a local with a voluminous floral dress and matching parasol that "Lanna realised who it was.

Kathryn was grinning from ear to ear. "Welcome to Dorvan folks. I'm so glad to see you all" She went and hugged them all in turn, which would have helped with the general blending in scenario. These locals were a tactile and noisy lot. "Come, let's go and get some refreshments in my hotel suite and we can catch up properly. Don't worry Tom and Annika. It's fully air conditioned."

B'Elanna gave her a grimace "Great. Five minutes here and I'm already being subjected to the human refrigerator once again."

"Then you can sit by the window. What with the heat from the glass and the blast of hot air if you care to open it, then we should all feel at home." Kathryn winked at her. "Time to formulate some sort of plan as regards Chakotay and `I really need my coffee."

—-

Two hours later and B'Elanna and the Doctor had laid out Plan B. That being an apt moniker as it was B'Elanna who had come up with the idea. Essentially the plan was the hybridise B'Elanna's cardiac muscle cells with Chakotay's healthy ones from the new biopsy they hoped to obtain tomorrow. Annika's nanoprobes would assist with the hybridisation process itself and then be completely removed from the sample. These hybrid cells would be grown and allowed to undergo a couple of rounds of cell division to ensure they were stable before being implanted into Chakotay's left ventricle wall. Klingon DNA being more robust than that of a human and innately programmed to build a denser muscle layer and stronger cell walls then it should be sufficient to repair his heart. Within a year he would have a heart that was pretty much half human and half Klingon, as did 'Lanna herself. But crucially, there would not be a single nanoprobe introduced into Chakotay's body.

Kathryn thought the solution was both ingenious and perfect. She was confident that Chakotay would accept help from one of his oldest and dearest friends and even Sekaya could not claim that B'Elanna's cells would sap his spirit. If anything they were in danger of enhancing it with a bit of Klingon fire that even his sister might not be able to overrule. She was so glad she had asked her four close friends to come out and help. She had pictured Annika and the Doctor hopefully saving the day but she had never considered that it would be B'Elanna who made the breakthrough.

They then chatted for the rest of the afternoon before the others went off to check into their hotel rooms for the night. Tom had parked the Flyer in a low geostationary orbit above the coordinates of Chakotay and Sekaya's homes and cloaked her. She would not be detectable on sensors but she was emitting a repulsive gravitational field to ensure anything that came too close was deflected away. It had been agreed that B'Elanna would go alone, initially, to see Chakotay and put their new treatment plan to him. Hopefully she could also catch up with Sekaya and Chakotay could have a couple days to adjust to the idea. The only thing needed from him now was a small biopsy which 'Lanna could take using the medical tricorder. The Doctor said it would be about eight days after that that they would have sufficient healthy and stable cycling hybrid cells to carry out the surgical procedure.

Just time for the six of them to properly reconnect and spend some quality time together before the Corona returned to pick Kathryn up. It was agreed that B'Elanna and Annika would join Kathryn on the mission to Cardassia as advisors whereas the Doctor and Tom would stay with Chakotay to supervise his recovery. Now all 'Lanna had to do was get Chakotay to agree.

—-

He knew something was up when Sekaya went to a frenzy of spring cleaning. Initially she had waved him off outside to get some sun whilst she fussed around. It was only when he smelt the disgusting odour of rotten gwelloh eggs being cooked that it became apparent to him that they were expecting a Klingon guest very soon. So 'Lanna was here on Dorvan again. He had missed her and was looking forward to the catch up but perhaps he would allow her to share lunch with Sekaya first. His stomach wasn't up to it for now.

"Chakotay!" She rushed at him and nearly sent him flying with her effusive hug. "I've missed you old man! And what is that I smell cooking?" She turned to see Sekaya bustling through the door and was soon enveloped in a warm hug just as effusive as hers.

"B'E it's about time. And where is that gorgeous new baby of yours Chakotay has told me all about?"

This was the hard bit "Back on Earth being looked after by Tom's parents for the next few weeks I'm afraid. I came out here on a mercy mission to patch up this stubborn P'Tak of yours then got roped in by one former Captain of mine into extending my largesse and brilliance strategising to assist the Cardassians."

Sekaya couldn't believe it. "Kathryn Janeway has talked you into being separated from your little girl to go help the Cardassians rebuild?...and you actually agreed! They brought that destruction on themselves, siding with our enemies as usual. Serves them right that the Dominion and Breen turned on them. I hope it has taught them a valuable lesson and they will not be re-building their war machine anytime soon. Uck! Cardassians...it;s almost enough to put me off our lunch."

With that Sekaya abruptly stomped back inside. 'Lanna and Chakotay just looked at each other for a moment. "Do me a favour. No more mention of Cardassians in front of my sister. She's still getting over the shock of finding out that Seska was one."

B'Elanna was already internally kicking herself. She was supposed to be getting Sekaya on side to lend her support for this new treatment for Chakotay, not talking about Kathryn and Cardassians in the same breath. "Sorry old man. Besides, the main point of my being here is to spend some quality time with you and I hope give you another option barring death or partial assimilation!"

He was surprised at that, having genuinely come to accept that his days were numbered and having made peace with the fact. "Then I am intrigued to hear you out. But perhaps I will leave you ladies to your lunch and just grab a cheese salad roll out here in the garden. I'm afraid twenty day old gwelloh eggs and my stomach are not really compatible these days, even as superbly as Sekaya prepares them."

'Lanna made a face to convey the fact she would far rather Chakotay's lunch option to her own but she would play along and charm his sister. They needed her on board with this and she would be a vital part of Chakotay's recovery. The Doc and Tom could deal with the physical aspects but it would be Sekaya providing the emotional and spiritual support.

—-

An hour later and 'Lanna joined him outside. She had cautious approval of the plan. As long as 'Lanna would personally vouch for the fact that there were no nanoprobes anywhere near the heart cells before the operation took place. She had promised to supervise the preparation herself. Secretly she was hoping that the Corona would not have to leave for Cardassia Prime before Chakotay's operation. Though she knew that would be unlikely. Time was of the essence and she needed to put the plan to Chakotay now and get that biopsy sample for the Doctor and Annika to begin work on.

After she had explained it all at length he sat and pondered. How did he feel about this? Certainly better than he had about the Borg tech option, that was for sure! But...a half Klingon heart? He loved 'Lanna dearly and he was touched that she was prepared to donate a slice of her heart to him. Sekaya had been given a bit of a watered down version of events. Probably Kathryn had too, but because so little of his heart was still in good repair, a small biopsy of cells from B'Elanna would not be enough. They would just take too long to replicate sufficient numbers to operate on him before nature took it's inevitable course. 'Lanna was young and should recover within a few weeks as long as she rested but it was still a lot to ask of a young mother with a four month old baby. Not to mention that Kathryn was planning to rope her in on this mission to Cardassia. Hardly conducive to 'Lanna taking things easy!

"It's a lovely gesture B'E but I'm not sure. I need some time to process this before I come to a decision."

"But that's just it Old Man. There IS no time. Kathryn, Annika and I are due to ship out on the Corona in ten days from now. I need a biopsy from you for the Doctor this afternoon and then I will need to donate the heart tissue the day after tomorrow at the latest. I'll need a week lazing around here on Dorvan to recover before I ship out."

"What does Tom say about you doing this?"

She hesitated: just long enough. "He doesn't know the full extent of it does he 'Lanna? I'm guessing he thinks the same as Kathryn and Sekaya. That it will just be a few heart cells in a tiny core biopsy at most. Am I right?"

She avoided looking directly at him "No, I've not updated him with the deteriorating situation yet. Not because he will try and talk me out of it but because I needed to speak to you first."

"Get me to agree?! 'Lanna you can't be serious. The only way I will even consider this is if everyone is singing from the same sheet and the Doctor assures both Tom and I that there is no danger of long term damage to your health. If you seriously want me to even entertain the idea then round the others up and join me here for supper at 2000. All of them 'Lanna. I mean it. And you need to make sure that they have all the clinical facts."

She couldn't blame him. If she was on the receiving end she would have done the same. Though she dreaded the row that would erupt between the Doctor and Tom once he found out the extent of the donation process. Time to beam back to the hotel and face the music, and quickly. "Okay Old Man. You win. But now you need to promise me something. If everyone is happy to go ahead after we have talked things through tonight : if the rest of us are unanimous, then you will agree to us saving your life. If there is dissent from any quarter you are free to decline."

Chakotay doubted very much that Tom would risk his wife's life. He certainly wouldn't have if their positions were reversed. Nor would he have willingly let Kathryn do the same for any of them. It seemed a safe bet that the ball would be back in his court for a final decision. Although he was strongly inclined to refuse, even now. Any dissent from any of them and that would be the end of that. "Okay 'Lanna. Under those strictures I agree."

They hugged goodbye and 'Lanna went in to speak to Sekaya. Once she had left Chakotay went indoors to find his usual fiery and hyperactive sister sitting quietly on the stair well crying her eyes out. He went and sat next to her. So 'Lanna had started by telling his sister the truth and she was torn between helping him and not hurting one of her best friends.

"It's alright Sekaya. There is no way they will all unanimously agree to this and my mind is ninety nine percent made up. It was sweet of her to offer. When we all have dinner together tonight I'm sure the whole idea will be put to bed once and for all. Then we can get on with enjoying my last week with my Voyager family before they ship out."

She said nothing but gently squeezed his hand before heading back to the kitchen.

—

The Doctor had just finished 'updating' them with all the gory details. Tom was horrified that what he thought was a fairly trivial procedure to obtain a few cells had morphed into major surgery for B'Elanna too. Annika understood his concerns. When they had all come up with the plan on the Flyer it had been a simple substitution of a few of Annika's cells for 'Lanna's. Never this. Kathryn just felt dejected. She knew that Chakotay would never agree to something so dangerous for one of his dearest friends just to save his own neck. He didn't need to remain Starfleet to retain that code of honour.

"So where do we go from here, everyone?" Kathryn looked around at the group of dejected faces. "There must be a Plan C or a compromise."

"I can't see one."This from B'Elanna "There's just not enough time either way."

Annika looked thoughtful. "So the optimal course of action is the original Plan B with additional time to grow sufficient cells for the transplantation procedure. Doctor, assuming Chakotay was stable, how much time would that be?"

None of them could see where she was going with this but the Doctor had gotten used to Annika's thought processes over the years. She did not ask superfluous questions. He thought carefully and did the calculation in his head " Allowing enough cells for a leeway of ten percent then I would say five to six weeks assuming we only take the 4mm cubed core biopsy I originally proposed."

"So we need to keep Chakotay from deteriorating any further for the next six weeks. I suggest we put him into a stasis pod. Immediately."

It was a clever solution except "I agree Annika. But there are no stasis facilities on Dorvan V nor on the Corona. The nearest are on..." Kathryn didn't even want to raise the subject.

"Cardassia Prime" Chakotay finished for her.

"Maybe we could pull it off if the Corona returns early and picks us all up tomorrow, then head out at maximum warp. The Doc and Tom could grow the hybrid cells on route and Annika could oversee the procedure and use the nanoprobes to speed things along. It would take twelve days to reach Cardassia but I could arrange for the stasis pod to be waiting for us the minute we arrive in orbit. Meanwhile our medical team on board could oversee 'Lanna's recovery." Kathryn looked hopefully at what were most of her former senior staff team.

"We've pulled off greater challenges than this before. If we were still out there, on Voyager, I would just order that we go ahead but.."she turned to Chakotay. "We are not. We are home and I am no longer your Captain or commanding officer. We are just your dearest friends and I am the woman who is in love with you. If the others agree, then I am begging you to say yes Chakotay. Please, just trust me this one last time."

Chakotay looked at Kathryn then around the table at the others. They all nodded their agreement. Even Sekaya , who would normally never contemplate anything that involved Cardassian help, however dire the situation. Then back to Kathryn. He could see that she knew she couldn't order him to do this. Nor would she try but he read in her eyes how desperate she was not to lose him, and if anyone in the universe could pull this off it was Kathryn, surrounded by the other six people in this room.

"Thank you all. Okay, I agree...let's do this." Sekaya just burst into tears, the Doctor and Annika shared a concerned glance and 'Lanna grinned and came over to playfully punch him. Kathryn had gone over to sit next to Tom and reassure him. She would do all she could to save Chakotay, but not at the cost of B'Elanna's health. Chakotay absolutely knew and trusted that and he could see that it was dawning on Tom too.

He went over to join them "Any hint of danger to 'Lanna and we call this whole thing off. You have my word on that Tom." He looked up at what was left of the Chakotay he had known, now more resembling his own father or grandfather even, and took the pro-offered hand to shake.

—-

Twelve days later...

All had so far gone to plan - whatever letter it was by now - Plan 'Fly by the seat of our Pants: Voyager style' as Tom liked to think of it. Kathryn had pulled off the near impossible again. Gotten his Dad to authorise the whole bunch of them to accompany her to Cardassia Prime. The Doctor, Annika, Sekaya and Chakotay on the U.S.S. Corona with him and B'Elanna following in the Delta Flyer. They had gotten the biopsy sample from B'Elanna before leaving Dorvan so the fact that he and B'Elanna were here in the Flyer was only known to the Voyagers and Starfleet Command. Kathryn and Chakotay were wise enough to know that the Cardassians could try and pull a stunt, particularly when they identified the man being put into stasis as one of the most notorious former Maquis Captains who had been a very successful thorn in their sides for years.

So the Flyer was cloaked and alongside the Corona in stealth mode. Kathryn had already sent a coded message to say that no one on the Corona had detected their presence. So they had an escape route should they need it. As the Corona locked into standard orbit of Cardassia Prime Tom directed the Flyer into stationary orbit on the dark side of the nearest moon. So he and B'Elanna would just have to sit it out for the next few weeks. She was frustrated because she had wanted to help Kathryn and Annika with the atmospheric radiation contamination problem but to show herself now would tip their hand. They would just have to rely on Kathryn and Annika to pull the mission off. They were now running in silent mode. No communications with either the Corona or Cardassian surface until Kathryn contacted them to say her missions were over. Hopefully both fully accomplished. So they would not know what was happening with Chakotay either and they couldn't even check up on Miral back home with her grandparents. It was going to be a long eight weeks.

"Come on Fly Boy. I may as well make those weapons and sensor upgrades to the Flyer whilst we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs. Grab my tool kit and consider yourself my apprentice for the duration."

He grimaced...a VERY LONG eight weeks!

—-

Fourteen weeks later...

Chakotay felt cold and...numb. He couldn't really feel his hands and feet but his back ached. There was a horrible clinical smell and the clatter of uniform boots across a plated floor devoid of carpeting. He started to open his eyes then squeezed them rapidly shut at the intensity of the light shining down on him. Voices...yes the Doctor's he recognised. He must be in Voyager's sickbay but what had happened? Had he been on an away mission and gotten into trouble or had their been an attack on the ship? He tried to focus on the voices. They were hushed and calm. It couldn't be a ship wide attack then.

Suddenly the light behind his eyelids dimmed and he heard the Doctor's voice directly above him. Inches from his face at best. "Ah, Mr. Chakotay, welcome back to the land of the living. I am pleased to report the operation was a great success, though of course that was to be expected with my expertise and Annika's efficient help. Your new heart is responding well and your vital signs are within normal parameters. You will have to remain in sickbay for the next three days then I should be able to release you to your temporary quarters. You are honoured, from what I hear you will be sharing the Ambassadorial Suite with our former Captain."

Why was he sharing with the Captain? And why was the Doctor calling her their former Captain? Had the ship been taken over by hostile aliens? And they didn't have an Ambassador's Suite unless he was talking about Neelix's quarters. He coughed and swallowed trying to find his voice. "Doctor, what are you talking about? What has happened to me and where am I? Where's the Captain?"

Oh dear, he was obviously quite confused. But then he had been in cold storage on Cardassia Prime's main hospital sight for thirteen weeks. In the end it had taken longer than expected to grow sufficient cells to make the hybrid heart and it had been a challenge to integrate all B'Elanna's Klingon genes and stabilise the relevant protein production. So poor Chakotay had been in the fridge for a whole month longer than planned. At least Kathryn and Annika's mission to Locaran City had been a great success. Annika had applied her Borg efficiency to allocating the relief supplies and manpower and Kathryn had devised a way of depleting the half life of the Gamma emitting isotopes that the Breen had bombarded the city with. Their mission was complete and the U.S.S. Corona was underway back to Dorvan with the Delta Flyer in the shuttlebay. Tom and B'Elanna had carried out so many upgrades over the last few weeks that the ship was pretty much unrecognisable but a feat of innovative engineering.

Thank goodness Owen Paris had had the foresight to travel to Dorvan so he was waiting at Adjar town to reunite Tom and B'Elanna with little Miral in three days time.

"It's a long story Chakotay but I'm pleased to say it's looking like a happy ending all round. Suffice to say you now have more in common with B'Elanna that you may wish but hopefully you will not develop her quick temper and diplomatic skills."

Chakotay could feel a headache coming on. He tried to sit up and was immediately grabbed steadied by two strong pairs of arms as pillows were adjusted behind him. Someone had also thoughtfully turned the lighting down. He looked up to see Tom one side and Kathryn the other. Immediately he felt a great sense of relief. He would get some sense out of Kathryn instead of listening to the Doctor singing his own praises. As if on cue "Well you are medically stable so I will leave you in the Captain's hands. Come on Mr. Paris, let's give the love birds some space."

Chakotay looked around. It was a sickbay but the layout was wrong. So they weren't on Voyager. "Kathryn?"

"What do you last remember Chakotay?" He wasn't sure. Had he been dreaming. He looked at Kathryn "I think I must have been dreaming. We were back in the Alpha Quadrant and I was home on Dorvan, you were there and so was 'Lanna and ...Seven of Nine? Captain, why am I in sickbay and why does sickbay look different?"

She took his hand and smiled. "You weren't dreaming Chakotay. We have been home for seven months now. You are in sickbay on the U.S. and you had a heart transplant four days ago, carried out by our EMH and assisted by Annika and this ship's medical team." He was looking more confused by the minute, but she had been warned that may be the case. "Are you feeling up to hearing this now or would you rather rest? There's no hurry."

No. He wanted the full picture. He needed to clear his mind and recall the past seven months. And why was she calling Seven Annika all of a sudden? "Captain, please, carry on. I need to know what has happened and my memory is a bit vague at the moment. Could you bring me something to drink too. My throat is very dry."

"Of course." She came back with a tepid herbal tea for him and her usual strong black coffee. The familiar aroma was a balm to his soul. "It's a long bedtime story Chakotay but I'll try not to bore you."

With that she spent the next three hours filling him in on all he had missed since they had left Dorvan V. Slowly images were coming back to him. He was still amazed at what she, 'B'Elanna and the others had done for him. He also felt at peace to discover that friendships had been repaired. It had been a shock to hear about his and Annika's 'smokescreen' but some scenes were starting to re-surface in his mind. Kathryn promised to bring B'Elanna, Sekaya and Annika to visit him tomorrow. He would see the Doc and Tom routinely as they were supervising his recouperation program.

So that just left one matter unresolved. "So, Kathryn, where do we stand in all this?"

She looked up at that. Startled. Perhaps she had not expected me to ask for another day or two. Perhaps she was unsure as to what I remembered or what I feel. "Kathryn, listen to me. My memory is a little patchy and apparently my body had seen better days but my heart is now fully functional and I haven't lost my soul. It's still there, the essence of me and this Klingon heart beats with as much love for you as ever. Perhaps a little more as I now carry some of 'Lanna's passion too. Probably just as well I'm still on my sickbed!" This last he delivered with that great big grin of his that showed his dimples to best effect.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry but found herself doing a bit of both simultaneously. "Then I say we are exactly where we are supposed to be my love. We are finally home for good."

THE END

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